Melbourne - Day 9

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March 23rd 2013

Published: March 24th 2013

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phil4jordan

BrightonVIC_20130323_1110

Melbourne city view from Brighton front

Got up at 07:30, blogged, had usual tea and raisen bread and got ready.
Cool partly cloudy 19 degrees, but wind had dropped thankfully.
Brian drove with me navigator down the eastern ocean drive that follows the coast of Port Phillip Bay.
Modern glass fronted modern houses with fantastic sea views abound.
Stopped briefly in Brighton to watch the vast shoals of small black fish and in Beaumaris to take in the bay views.
Then on to Frankston where we came across the Waterfront bicycle holding pens for the Iron Man event the next day.
Had to stop for a proper look then!
12:50 Parked up and passed the next 2 hours wandering around and had fantastic pork dinner and garlic bread lunch in Davy's Hotel on the water side.

15:00 I then drove us down to Portsea but thought had missed it and ended up in the Neapean point walkers trail start.
This was at Gunner's cottage in the former military land and quarantine station that overlooks the entrance to the Bay.
Was in search of coffee and cake not walking (!) so headed back to Sorrento, realising that the 200 hundred year old tree lined road and pretty

BrightonVIC_20130323_1116

Brighton (Victoria) Pier

church complete with wedding was actually Portsea.
Of course there was an italian restaurant along with another wedding reception party at Morgan's bar next door that overlook the Queenscliff ferry and pretty little marina.

By which time the sun was beginning to get out so we headed back up the freeway, through a Wales-like open valley, and inadvertently ended up on the M3 toll road going in the wrong direction away from Melbourne.
Got off quickly and managed to get back via Frankston and the ocean road again.
(Later found out hire car companies have an automatic agreement so need to worry about paying tolls till we drop off the car)

We briefly stopped at the St Kilda picturesque marina with another Iron Man event stop before getting back in brilliant sunshine and 24 degrees around 18:00.

Unpacked the car and got ready leisurely and was out for 23:00ish.

Spent the night in a much more busy bar in Smith street, drinking, dancing a chatting.
Walked back through a busy town centre, police cars keeping an eye on busy bars and clubs spilling on the pavement.
Had Pie Face (well, itwas on our way home at